Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-04-01
VOLUME XXVII--NUMBER IS.
The Indians of Our Territory.

But few people are aware of the
number of Indians in Western Wash
ington Territory, their modes of living
and the extent of their reservations.
| A day or two ago Ledger representa-
tive had talk with Col. NJ. A. Thomas
of Baltimore, United States Indian In
spector, who has been on duty on Pu-
get Sound for the past two months,
making his headquarters at The Ta-
coma, when not on his tours to the
reservations. Col. Thomas had in
spected the various agencies and made
a general examination of the books
and accounts of the various Superin-
tendents and agents. He is an untir-
ing officer, and in his work here strove
to do honor to the department which
he represented. He carefully went
over the ground made thorough in
vestigation of all the agencies. In
cluded in the Puyallup agency there
are five separate and distinct reseva-
tions, Puyallup, Nisqually, Chehalis,
Squaxon and Skokomish. Embraced
i'll the agency there are from 1900 to
1,5OO Indians. Those of the three
first named reservations are engaged
more particularly in farming, while
those OF the other reservations are
more properly clam-diggers and fish
eaters, and live mostly upon the shores
of the upper Sound, subsisting chiefly
in hunting and fishing.
THE PUYALLUP AGENCY.
The Puyallup agency headquarters
are two miles in direct line by railroad
from Tacoma, in fact the main line of
the Northern Pacific road runs through
the reservation. The Agent is Edwin
Eells. Upon the reservation are about
600 Indians, many of whom have
been allotted tracts of farming land
as fine as can be found in Washington
Territory. Many half-breeds live there,
and some of them have good homes,
and considerable stock. They raise
produce, hay and potatoes principally,
which they sell to the merchants of
Tacoma and get good profits from
their labor. The Government buildings
are large and comfortable, and yet for
the accommodation of pupils at the
school the building is entirely too
small. An effort is now ON foot to OBJ
tain an appropriation Of SIC, 600 for the
| erection OF an additional boarding
school to accommodate 200 or more
pupils. The proposition is to SUBJ
merge into one large school there the
other two schools at the Chehalis and
Skokomish reservations, the intention
being to create an industrial and train
ing school similar to that near Salem,
Oregon, where the Indians may not
only be taught to read and write but
may be given a trade and be fitted in
other ways for business. The school
at the Puyallup reservation number
nearly 100 boartlers, and there num-
ber Of the Nisqually Indians who can
not be accommodated from lack of
room. 1t is in fine condition the pupils
are quite bright and some of them par
particularly apt and will cope well
with those of the white race. The
Puyallup Indians are considered to be
a more intelligent set than tile other
tribes, from the fact that their homes
are near Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner
and other points, and they are thrown
among the whites more than any of
the others in Western Washington.
They are better able to speak correctly
the English language from constant
intercourse and business relations;with
the whites, than those of the more
isolated portions of the Territory.
| OTHER AGENCIES.
The Tulalip agency comprises the
Tulalip, Lummi, Swinomish, Port
Madison and Muckleshoot reservations,
with headquarters of the agency at
Tulalip, at the head of Possession
Sound, about sixty-five miles from Ia
coma. The Superintendent and Agent
there is Wilson H. Talbot, who has
control over the five reservations and
about 1900 Indians who reside there
ON. Only at one place within the
agency, and this is at Tulalip, is there
school, and this is a Roman Catholic
institution under the management of
secular priests and sisters of Provi-
dence. 1t numbers lis scholars. 1t
is what is known as a contract school,
and the only one of the kind in West
ern Washington. The United States
government has made contracts with
the managers of the school, and pays
them at the rate of $1OS per year for
each child, not to exceed 100 scholars
hence the managers are educating fiji.
teen Indian children, for which they
receive no pay from the government
The terms of the contract of these
priests and Sisters Of Providence are
that for this amount they will feed
clothe, board aud educate each child
They have fine school, well managed
and the children make great progress
towards civilization. There is little
difference between these Indians and
those of the Puyallup agency except
that many of the elder persons arr
; less intelligent upon the Tulalip agen
cy. They have considerably agricul
| tur.l land fine Gardens and raise 8